UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A row has erupted between the UK and Scotland over £24.5m spent policing US President Donald Trump and VP JD Vance, with Scotland seeking reimbursement.
As reported by The Guardian, Holyrood’s public finance minister, Ivan McKee, called on the UK government to “step up” and reimburse £24.5m spent on Donald Trump and JD Vance’s visits to Scotland.
The Scottish government has released provisional costs of almost £24.5m for the two working visits.
Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire during a five-day trip in July, while JD Vance spent around four days in Ayrshire in August.
What did Ivan McKee say about the UK refusing to fund Trump and Vance’s visits?
Ivan McKee slammed the UK government, calling it “ridiculous” for refusing to fund the visits, which were being framed as private trips. He noted that both visits involved Donald Trump meeting EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland.
He added,
“The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with them, it’s really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip.”
What did Shona Robison say in her letter to the Treasury?
Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, wrote a letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary, James Murray. She said the trips imposed
“substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland.”
She added,
“Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing to you to request that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits.”
Ms Robison cited Mr Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, when the UK government covered costs, noting the trip followed a formal invitation and included security expenses.
The Scottish government said policing costs for President Trump’s visit were £21m, including daily peaks of more than 4,000 officers, while the vice-president’s four-day trip cost around £3m.
What did the UK Government say about policing costs for Trump and Vance’s visits?
The UK government responded that the visits were private and “not official UK government business.”
The spokesperson added,
“The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements.”
What did JD Vance say about free speech?
During his UK visit in August, JD Vance said,
“I’ve raised concerns about free speech in the United States of America. I think the entire collective West, the transatlantic relationship, our Nato allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration, got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions.”
He added,
“So that’s been my view. Obviously, I’ve raised some criticism and concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic, but the thing that I say to the people of England, or anybody else, to David, is many of the things that I worry most about were happening in the United States from 2020 to 2024. I just don’t want other countries to follow us down what I think is a very dark path under the Biden administration.”
Largest policing operation in Scotland
Scotland’s largest policing operations since 2022 have included the death of Queen Elizabeth II and President Donald Trump’s visit in 2025. The Queen’s death led to a UK-wide police operation, with Scotland seeing the highest overtime costs from 2022 to 2024.
Donald Trump’s visit demanded a huge police presence and placed significant strain on resources. Although the COP26 summit in 2021 was the largest operation.